A few days after the US launched its invasion of Iraq, United Airlines announced that 2,000 flight attendants, 1,148 mechanics, and thousands more non-union salaried employees would be forced to take time off with no pay as a direct result of the war. Other airlines sought similar concessions. Jennifer Biddle, United Airlines mechanic, reports.

Israel will be 55-years old, and it’s going to have a huge birthday bash, in DC, to celebrate it! The guest of honor will be that old softie himself, Ariel “The Butcher” Sharon. President George W. Bush is also slated to attend the festivities. The organizers are seeking to spotlight Israel’s so-called, “remarkable achievements in democracy.” Now, this could be tricky, especially since there are 3,000,000 Palestinians presently existing under an “Israeli siege” (The Link, “A Most Ungenerous Offer,” Jeff Halper, Oct. 2002). Prediction: The MCI Center, on May 19, 2003, in Washington DC, will be the scene of the largest anti-Zionist protest rally in U.S. history!

Intelligence agencies accuse Bush and Blair of distorting and fabricating evidence in the rush to war against Iraq. Raymond Whitaker reports.

South Korea is concerned about North Korea's decision to arm itself with a "tremendous military deterrent." But the last two years, South Korean public opinion has shifted radically on North Korea. People in S. Korea no longer fear N. Korea as much as they fear the United States's enthusiasm for war. Writing for Pacific News Service, Chalmers Johnson reports.

In Argentina, 200 factories have been taken over and run by workers in the past 18 months. Dozens of workers' co-operatives have been awarded legal expropriation. Naomi Klein reports on the struggle of the workers of Brukman, a garment plant in Buenos Aires.

Michael Moore comments on the media backlash against his Oscar speech and the comments of the Dixie Chicks criticizing the Bush administration. Speaking out, Moore says, has hurt neither his nor the Dixie Chicks' popularity.

"If ever an Oscar was deserved for minimizing catastrophic reports coming out of Iraq with jocular "henny penny" disbelief, then Rumsfeld has a date with Hollywood..."

Three of the four Critical Mass riders arrested on March 28 were in court April 17. Anna Ditkoff reports on their case and accounts of the police response the day of the protest.